Slopes for All Sizes

Colorado’s Rocky Mountains are home to over 25 ski resorts, each with its own distinctive vibe. Some are where the rich and famous flock to ski and be seen while others have a low key vibe with less time focused on what to wear, and more on having a good time on the mountain. Keystone Resort, just a two-hour ride up the mountain from Denver International Airport, is all about fun. Families looking for a ski vacation that offers several fun winter activities as well as plenty of time on the slopes should look no further.  My family just returned from our time on the mountain and while the incredible skiing was most definitely the highlight, we were pleasantly surprised by how much non-skiing fun we had as well. Here are my tips on how to turn your family vacation in Keystone into an experience your whole family will love.

Go to ski school: For years, I avoided skiing like the plague. I am not the most graceful thing to ever walk on two legs and hurling myself down a mountain on a pair of skis seemed like a death wish.  After spending a few hours in ski school, I found the confidence I needed to ski those bunny slopes.  Keystone offers a variety of learning areas, each varying in steepness and difficulty, making it an ideal location for beginners to take to the slopes. I couldn’t help but notice that I was learning considerably quicker and falling much less (actually I didn’t fall at all!) than the other newbies who were receiving guidance from their friends instead of a professional instructor. Without my instructor Mark, I know I would have been sliding down the slopes on my back, miserable and defeated. Instead, I progressed from waddling on skis to stopping, turning, and even riding the lifts like a competent skier!

My kids loved the Children’s Ski and Ride School so much that we had to practically drag them off the mountain every day. The program turned my five-year old son into a ski-obsessed kid who went to sleep at night dreaming of perfect pizza wedge stops and carried his ski boots into my room bright and early every morning, begging for more.  Seeing their amazing progression in such a short period of time as well as the attention and enthusiasm from the instructors made me feel confident that ski school was a worthwhile investment.

Take a sleigh ride: We have all sang the lyrics to “Jingle Bells” dozens of times but how many of us have actually dashed through the snow on a one horse open sleigh? At Keystone, families can take a sleigh pulled by two draft horses through a moonlit snow-covered valley to a special dinner inside the recreated homestead of one of the original settlers in the area. Sounds idyllic doesn’t it? Thick blankets help guests take their focus off the freezing temperatures and on to the fresh elk tracks in the snow, shadows cast by the bare bones of an aspen lit by a full moon, and a coyote trotting 50 yards of the sleigh on his nightly quest for a meal. Inside the cabin, the atmosphere is as warm as the toasty baked biscuits fresh from the oven. Steaming cast iron kettles full of the best barley beef stew you will ever have are accompanied by the songs of a cowgirl and her guitar. The complimentary shot of peppermint schnapps kicks up a cup of hot chocolate quite nicely and the heaping portions of grilled entrees are sure to keep your stomach happy - just be sure to leave room for apple pie a la mode!

Tube like you have never tubed before: The first time I ever slid down a mountain was on a black Glad trash bag wearing jeans sprayed with scotch guard.  Flash forward twenty years later where I find myself in a cozy inner tube staring down one of the perfectly groomed tubing trails I was about to fly down, with my arm linked  tightly to my daughter’s tube.  I tried to catch my breath in between involuntary screams of joy as we whizzed down the mountain at speeds I never dreamed of seeing on that Glad trash bag. The ride was a bit too fast for my cautious daughter (if you have a child who isn’t ready for roller coasters, she probably isn’t ready for this) but my son, husband, and I all couldn’t wait for another ride. We took the luxurious ride up the magic carpet- no lugging heavy tubes up steep hillsides at Keystone -  and rode again as the sun set on a perfect Rocky Mountain day.

Disclosure: The author was hosted by Keystone Resort. All opinions are her own.

Photo: Sharlene Earnshaw